Ferré & Consulting Blog (English Version)

Tna has launched two new additions to its range, representing the latest solutions in food packaging and verification for advanced quality assurance: the tna intelli-scan 2 comprehensive date code assurance system, as well as the tna intelli-read 3 integrated bar code scanning system. These new products accurately verify products on the tna robag vertical ‘form fill and seal’ (VFFS) bagger, while retaining a high level of flexibility and simplicity for food manufacturers.

Aided by fast speed image detection to amplify its ability to find miscoded or uncoded products, the highly accurate and reliable tna intelli-scan 2 processes images through its camera system to ensure that the date code is printed, complete and legible. Suitable for a range of print requirements, it can handle both light and dark texts. Furthermore, with exposure times of less than 0.5ms and high speeds of up to 200bpm, the scanner is able to keep up with the current speed of tna’s robag 3 series equipment, into which it is fully integrated, therefore maximising efficiency. The user friendly settings ensure ease of operation, whatever the application.

The new tna intelli-read 3 full film width bar code reader automatically scans the bar code on the film and cross checks it in order to verify that the correct product is being processed. Mounted on to the film system of the tna robag and then fully integrated into the software, the tna intelli-read 3 scans the entire width, making it virtually impossible to bypass, as every barcode, regardless of where on the film it is printed will be read. Not merely a verification system, the tna intelli-read 3 will also select the tna robag product programme or recipe associated with the decoded barcode in order to ensure correct usage. No manual interaction from an operator is required, as the tna intelli-read 3 suggests the appropriate programmes for the product. It also automatically detects a splice with a different film, and aids traceability.

Shayne De la Force, tna’s Group marketing manager, comments, “We’re thrilled to be bringing the tna intelli-scan 2 and the tna intelli-read® 3 to the market. These additions provide the next level of food packaging and verification for advanced Quality Assurance. tna takes quality assurance extremely seriously and happy to be leading the way with these innovations in the industry.”

Source: Confectionery Production

packaging packaging, TNA, tna intelli-read

Not all trans fats are created equal, and it’s time for nutritional labels to reflect that reality, says a University of Alberta nutrition expert.

According to a scientific review conducted by Spencer Proctor, along with Canadian and international colleagues, natural trans fats produced by ruminant animals such as dairy and beef cattle are not detrimental to health. In fact, they show significant positive health effects and some evidence even links these natural trans fats to reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer.

According to the review, naturally occurring trans fat has a different fatty acid profile than industrial trans fat, which contributes to its different physiological effects. Ruminant trans fat is naturally occurring and found in meat and dairy foods, while industrial produced trans fat is a component of partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, which have been strongly associated with cholesterol and coronary heart disease.

Consumers are bombarded on a regular bases about what they should and shouldn’t eat. Quite often fat is the primary target of what to avoid and trans fats in particular have a negative reputation.

“A change in how trans fat information is presented on nutrition labels would be a huge step forward,” says Proctor, a researcher in the Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, and director of the Metabolic and Cardiovascular Diseases Laboratory at the University of Alberta. “Right now in Canada and the U.S., a substantial portion of natural trans fats content is included in the nutrition label trans fat calculation, which is misleading for the consumer. We need a reset in our approach to reflect what the new science is telling us.”

Spencer adds that in some European countries, natural trans fat is not included in the nutrition label calculation. Another approach may be to have separate listing for industrial trans fats and natural trans fats.

Researchers evaluated an evidence base from numerous studies in the review. Based on the findings to date, plans for new studies are gaining momentum to further investigate the health implications of natural ruminant-derived trans fats.

One scientific program headed by Proctor was recently approved for a $1 million research grant from the Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency to further this line of study over the next several years.

“With industry, the science community, regulators and other important groups in this area working together, we can continue to make strides to help the public better understand the health implications of natural ruminant trans fats,” says Proctor.

Source: Bakers Journal

packaging labelling, trans fats

A leading baker is singing the praises of Advanced Dynamics Ltd after reporting significant productivity improvements following the installation of highly accurate labelling equipment on a morning goods wrapping line.

The specialist in labelling, feeding, wrapping and bagging solutions supplied Greggs North West with a Eurokett Junior 115 for a variety of wrapped baked items at its Manchester factory, helping the renowned food giant gain a distinct advantage in the competitive morning goods market.

In addition to this major endorsement of its range of label dispensers, Advanced Dynamics has also launched the revolutionary new Eurokett Matrix labeller, the successor to the flexible Junior 115, which utilises the very latest stepper motor drive technology for unrivalled accuracy, reliability and ease of control.

Tony Spencer, Greggs Northwest’s Chief Engineer, commended the “excellent” service from Advanced Dynamics and praised the unit’s ease of handling and versatility. He said: “The Eurokett Junior 115 has played a big part in enhancing our wrapping productivity at the site. It’s the first time Greggs has used Advanced Dynamics whom I found to be very supportive and professional. The unit is labelling a wide variety of our wrapped products and is proving popular with our production staff due to it being reliable and very user friendly.”

Advanced Dynamics’ reputation for high-quality labelling equipment was well known at Greggs, and was a key factor in the company’s decision to choose the Eurokett Junior. In fact, Mr Spencer has been so impressed with the performance of the equipment he says he has recommended Advanced Dynamics to other food companies.

The Eurokett Junior is ideal for high volume production for anything from bread rolls or cakes to fresh produce and meat. At labelling speeds of around 100 packs per minute, the Eurokett Junior can keep pace with the most up-to-date packing lines.

It provides reliable, highly accurate label application, eliminating the risks of missing labels or damage caused by rough handling. The system can apply both top and base labels in a single pass, with optional on-line coding for increased line efficiency. The Eurokett is also suitable for barcoding, applying additional product information and promotional flash labels.

Advanced Dynamics’ joint-managing director, Malcolm Little, said: “We believe that the Eurokett Junior is the most efficient labelling equipment available. It is supermarket compliant and the workhorse of the labelling industry. It is designed to operate in unison with packing equipment, making it ideal for food companies looking to maximise their production.

“However, we are also very excited about the new Matrix range of label dispensers. This is a great development and provides us with equipment worthy of taking over from the Eurokett Junior. We will be showcasing the Eurokett Matrix range at the PPMA Show in September 2011.”

The Matrix adds to a long line of superb and diverse applications that you would expect from a team which has a combined experience of over 100 years in supplying labelling and feeding equipment for a wide range of sectors. Food companies can make the most of Advanced Dynamics’ expertise and high quality equipment to boost productivity and increase their slice of the market.

Source: Advanced Dynamics Ltd

packaging Advanced Dynamics, Greggs Making Dough, labelling solutions

While East Africa is fighting its worst food crisis in 60 years, the amount of food thrown away worldwide is rising. Elisabeth Fischer finds out how the food packaging industry, policy-makers and consumers can help tackle the growing food mountain.

Eliminating the millions of tons of food thrown away every year in developed countries is one of the biggest challenges the industry has to tackle in the years ahead. While East Africa is afflicted by the worst drought and food shortage the continent has seen in 60 years, affecting 12 million people living in Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia, the numbers of global food waste levels have constantly increased in recent years.

Industry experts suggest that roughly a third of food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted globally, amounting to about 1.3 billion tons a year. Food packaging designers and companies could take an important role in reducing the growing food mountain. Through new sizes, designs and the introduction of new packaging materials that prolong the shelf life of perishable foods, an important step towards more sustainable food supply can be made.

In developing countries the problem lies in the supply chain: poor storage facilities, poor infrastructure and transportation, a lack of refrigeration as well as inadequate market facilities let food go bad.

In developed countries on the other hand, foodstuff is primarily wasted by its end consumer. In the EU, food is thrown away on a massive scale. The European Commission estimates that the waste amounted to 89 million tons in 2009, 11% of all the food produced in Europe.

In the UK alone, it was estimated that in 2008 consumers threw away about a third of the country’s food supply – a wake-up call for both the food and the packaging industry.

Packaging: the solution not the problem

Many developed countries still concentrate on the reduction of packaging waste rather than a cutback in the food thrown away. “Packaging protects food,” said European Organisation for Packaging and the Environment (EUROPEN) managing director Julian Carroll at the Save Food Congress, which was held as part of Interpack in Düsseldorf in May 2011.

“For decades, packaging was seen as nothing but waste, a nuisance to be avoided. Yet nothing could be further from the truth. Packaging is a technological wunderkind that makes abundance for the masses possible,” he said. “I often shake my head in despair at the sheer absurdity of the focus on packaging waste and sustainability by policymakers compared with food waste. Packaging waste pales into insignificance compared with the losses caused by food waste.”

With the Save Food Congress the international packaging industry and the UN Food & Agriculture Organisation (FAO) aiming to demonstrate how solutions, concepts and the protective function of packaging can effectively help to tackle the problem of food waste, addressing global policymakers and consumers. The packaging industry needs to communicate packaging more strongly as part of the solution for more sustainability rather than to the continuous limited discussion regarding the question of disposal, the organisers claim.

Many governments and policy makers have however ignored in the past what the food packaging industry has long realised. The UK’s new waste review, published by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) in June 2011, completely missed out on the issue of food waste. While the government commits to putting a series of measures into action to tackle and reduce packaging waste ‘towards a zero waste economy’, no steps to tackle the problem of food waste were mentioned even though ‘all aspects of waste policy and delivery in England’ had been reviewed.

One positive example in the battle against food waste comes from Denmark, where the Stop Wasting Food movement is raising consumer awareness and triggering a change in their behaviour. Supported by members of the Danish Parliament and EU politicians, the movement has received major press coverage in the country’s media, bringing the issue to every Danish household.

Stop Wasting Food is also one of the developers of the Joint Declaration Against Food Waste, an international document disclosed to the EU and the UN. It contains proposal for sustainable use of food and commits to the global reduction of food waste of at least 50% by 2025.

Smart packaging

While policymakers should concentrate on the education of consumers, the packaging industry has to tackle the growing food mountain with more practical and hands-on measures. Today’s food packaging has to reflect changing consumption habits and other social changes resulting from demographic factors and altered lifestyles. People are becoming more urban, single households are more common and also the aging populations have influenced the shape, size and the design of packaged food. In the future, different products, different amounts and different packaging sizes will be in demand.

Intelligently designed containers have to ensure their content is entirely consumed and that no residual amount remains in the package, while ensuring product safety, convenience, marketing and sustainability, technological advancements significantly prolong the shelf life of perishable foods.

Trays, wraps and other forms of physical barriers not only protect the food from their environment but also maintain safety and flavour, keep out oxygen and microbes, and make seasonal food available all year. Better transport packaging reduces bruising, crushing and other damage and mitigates the risk of food being thrown away before even arriving at the supermarket.

A step further has been made with the development of active packaging materials, which do more than simply protect, store and transport food. The different plastic films interact with the food, adding to the product’s shelf life without reducing its nutrients, adding unwanted tastes and odours, or changing the texture and appearance.

The example of a simple salad bag shows the complexity active packaging: what may look like a mere sheet of transparent plastic consists in fact of up to seven different layers. Each of the layers has unique chemical properties, laminated into one single sheet only a few hundred microns thick. The result is a bag that provides the perfect environment for the fresh and perishable salad leaves. The rate of respiration is precisely controlled and gaseous exchanges of carbon dioxide and oxygen are calibrated to perfection. The release of moisture is controlled so the leaves neither drown nor dry out, while another layer filters out UAV lights to slow down plant aging.

Another area of interest with the potential to overhaul the packaging industry and the problem of food waste in years to come is nanotechnology.

Manipulating matter on an atomic and molecular scale, the opportunities seem virtually boundless. For instance, scientists at food giant Kraft, in cooperation with Rutgers University in New Jersey and the University of Connecticut have been working on nano-particle films and packaging with embedded sensors.

One of the biggest sources of consumer food waste is the mix-up of ‘best-before’ and ‘use-by’ dates on packages. Such smart technology could be able to detect food germs and to trigger colour changes in the packaging to alert the consumer if the contents have gone bad.

A new era of food consciousness

According to Julian Carroll, the efforts of the packaging industry and movements such as the Danish Stop Wasting Food campaign show that society is beginning to recognise that it must tackle the growing food mountain at the right place. “The fact that we are gathered here today is a sign that these insights are beginning to leave the pages of packaging trade journals and are entering the mainstream,” he said in his speech at the Save Food Congress in Düsseldorf in May 2011.

According to non-profit aid organisation Welthungerhilfe, however, a transition cannot only take place through packaging: it must first and foremost take place in consumers’ minds and behaviour. Food in general has to become more valuable in developed countries, as what is carelessly thrown away here can mean deprivation somewhere else.

Source:Foodprocessing Technology

packaging food waste, packaging, Smart packaging

The European Food Safety Authority has said it has no safety concerns about the use of two substances in food contact materials following requests from the UK.

Polymer antioxidant

The agency’s CEF panel delivered its positive scientific opinion on phosphorous acid, mixed 2,4-bis(1,1-dimethylpropyl)phenyl and 4-(1,1-dimethylpropyl)phenyl trimesters.

The experts said there was no safety concern for the public if the migration of the substance – expressed as the sum of phosphite and phosphate form of the substance and the hydrolysis product 4-t-amylphenol) – does not exceed 5 mg/kg food.

The migration of the hydrolysis product 2,4-di-t-amylphenol should not exceed 0.05 mg/kg food, it added.

The substance, with CAS number 939402-02-5, European Commission reference number 74050 and the FCM substance No. 974, is for use as an antioxidant in all polymers at a maximum content of 1500 mg/kg polymer for contact with all food types at any time/temperature condition.

The referral to the Parma-based body was made by the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) on behalf of the applicant Chemtura Corporation, USA.

To read the full opinion click here

Co-monomer fro EVOH and PVOH copolymers

The same panel also delivered a positive assessment on the monomer 3,4-diacetoxy-1-butene under specific conditions.

The EFSA scientists concluded that there was no safety concern for the consumer if the migration of the substance does not exceed 0.05 mg/kg food – including the hydrolysis product 3,4-dihydroxy-1-butene – and is only used as a comonomer for EVOH and PVOH copolymers.

The substance, with CAS No. 18085-02-4, REF. No. 15180 and the FCM substance No. 862, is designated for use as a comonomer in small percentages for the production of ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer (EVOH) and polyvinyl alcohol copolymer (PVOH).

Stipulations were made depending on whether the substance was to be used as an inner layer or if in direct contact with food.

FCMs containing the copolymer as an inner layer are intended to be used with all types of foodstuffs under conditions of long term storage at room temperature whereas the copolymer layer in direct contact with food is intended for dry and fatty foods only, said the CEF panel.

Overall migration limit from EVOH or PVOH copolymers in direct contact with aqueous foods may be exceeded

The dossier was submitted on behalf of Nippon Gohsei, Japan, by the UK FSA

To read the full opinion click here

Source: Food Production Daily

Food Safety, packaging EFSA, food contact materials

A new US gluten-free certification aims to meet consumer demand for genuine products that carry the claim, say the groups behind the programme.

The Quality Assurance International (QAI) and the healthcare nonprofit National Foundation for Celiac Awareness (NFCA) claim their “Certified Gluten-Free” label is independent and science-based, verified through inspections and product testing.

“Nationally, food allergies and the diagnosis of Celiac Disease are on the rise and we want to help eliminate confusion for consumers by providing them with a label they can trust based on sound science,” said QAI general manager Jaclyn Bowen.

“QAI’s 20-year focus in organic certification has made us experts in the prevention of contamination and co-mingling of ingredients; two skills sets that are critical in verifying and assuring gluten-free status.”

Sensitive testing and stringent auditing

According to QAI and NFCA, the new gluten-free certification programme requires sensitive testing procedures, a stringent auditing and an independent application review process.

This programme will involve an annual inspection that will evaluate feedback from consumers, manufacturers and retailers. This will include product reviews, ingredient verifications and onsite inspections.

Ongoing compliance with the scheme is also monitored, including random product testing, they said.

All companies are required to produce products at less than 10 parts per million (ppm) of gluten to receive certification.

“Widespread cross-contamination of source ingredients means that even manufacturers who singularly produce gluten-free products must incorporate adequate testing and verification protocols into their operating procedures,” said the QAI and NFCA.

“The stringent nature of the QAI certification protocols ensures prevention of contamination and co-mingling, critically important for those with allergies to gluten and gluten-intolerance.”

Source: Bakery and Snacks

packaging gluten-free products, labeling regulations

A new logo allows confectionery, biscuit and other food producers show their commitment to sustainable palm oil, which in turn will boost global demand, says the RSPO.

The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) said its new logo is a’milestone’ in its bid to encourage production and use of certified sustainable palm oil (CSPO) as it will “serve as an impetus for all members in the CSPO supply chain to step up their efforts.”

RSPO said its brand owner and retailer membership can use the new trademark on packaging as well as in communication about products that contain RSPO backed palm oil-derived ingredients.

The design of the trademark, continued the not-for-profit association, was unveiled in November last year at the 8th Roundtable Meeting of the RSPO in Indonesia but it has taken until now to finalise rules governing the use of the logo as well as a procedure on trademark licence application.

Tanno Massar, a spokesperson for RSPO, said the new logo will have more impact with shoppers than the previous wording alone, citing growing consumer interest in buynig products using CSPO derived ingredients.

Currently, around nine per cent of all palm oil produced in the world is RSPO certified.

Licence fee

The RSPO spokesperson also told this publication that there will be no additional trademark licence fee in the first phase of the application process, which is set to end 1 July 2012. Thereafter, the fee structure would be reviewed, he added.

Use of the RSPO trademark is allowed only if at least 95 per cent of a product’s palm oil derived components are RSPO certified.

There are two different versions of the new logo, said the spokesperson. Products containing palm oil ingredients sourced under the Mass Balance RSPO option must carry the logo as well as the wording ‘mixed’ on all consumer orientated product communication.

India and China

The spokesperson said one of the biggest challenges currently facing the RSPO is helping ensure that the conditions are put in place in India and China – two of the biggest consumer markets for palm oil – for greater take-up of CSPO.

“We hope to achieve this through awareness raising and outreach work with stakeholders such as goverment-backed organisations,” he remarked.

When asked whether the premium pricing structure around CSPO is not a barrier to its wider use in emerging economies, Massar argues that: “Sustainable will not always equal premium, and CSPO will eventually become the norm globally.”

The RSPO rules regarding communication around the logo can be read here .

Source: Confectionery News

Ingredients, packaging logo, palm oil, RSPO

Little industry interest in scaling up alternatives to the energy intensive conventional stoving method for jellies parked a UK agency’s bid to develop a microwave based method but low carbon technology projects in dairy and bakery are taking off.

In the third part of our special edition on alternatives to carbon heavy processes, we hear from the Carbon Trust on plans to fund other eco projects in the confectionery sector as well as developments involving major UK dairy and bakery brand owners.

Finding energy efficient technical processes that can then be replicated widely across each food category is the ultimate goal of the Carbon Trust.

Last October, it reported that carbon emissions from the production of gums and jellies hits 60,000 tonnes per annum and the advocates then challenged technology providers and manufacturers such as project champions Nestlé, Tangerine and Cadbury to develop consortia to trial and demonstrate alternatives.

But Carbon Trust technology acceleration manager, Al-Karim Govindji, told this publication that the sector did not take up the gauntlet on progressing these novel processes beyond the research phase:

“A stoving method based on microwave curing was always a bit ‘blue sky’ and was only ever going to tackle one aspect of the confectionery sector, so there was not a massive amount of interest from a sector, which is quite consolidated, in taking it further.

The decision of the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC)to cease its support for the Industrial Energy Efficiency Accelerator (IEEA) scheme from March this year also left confectioners unsure as how any technology scale up would get matching funding,” explained Govindji.

Heat recovery

The Carbon Trust acceleration manger reports that the advocacy group is now in early stage talks with some chocolate manufacturers in relation to developing a funding route to explore options such as heat recovery systems.

And the round two phase of the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills Regional Growth fund – totalling £1.4bn – is a promising revenue source, with the application deadline set for 1 July 2011, notes Govindji.

Bakery innovation

He said that low carbon technology projects in the bakery and dairy industries, arising from a similar IEEA initiative supported by the Carbon Trust, have already received funding through the first round of that regional funding programme.

“Plant scale trials of these low carbon processes involving well know dairy manufacturers such as Arla Foods and BV Dairy along with bakeries including Irwins and Morrissons are contracted to start within four to eight weeks,” added Govindji.

The Carbon Trust worked closely with the industrial bakery sector in 2009 and 2010 to understand energy use in the manufacturing process with data from submetering of the baking process showing ovens account for 35 to 45 per cent of site emissions.

In terms of bakery, continuded Govindji, four eco-technology projects have been funded including one involving the lightweighting of tin pans with Irwins Bakery and supplier Capway Systems.

“It was noted that more heat was used to heat the tin rather than the bread in scoping trials and it is hoped a reduction in the tin material will counter this.”

Improved combustion efficiency based on a method to stabilise flue pressure is being trialled at both Morrison and Jackson bakeries, while Fosters is evaluating a process that measures excess air in ovens for greater combustion control, added the Carbon Trust spokesperson.

Heat recovery in bakery manufacturer is the fourth project, and it is aiming to get to grips with novel burner control. Fosters is again involved in this technology scale up, reported Govindji.

Cleaning challenges

Innovation in Clean-in-Place (CIP) is behind the funded trials focused on the dairy sector.

The UK dairy processing industry processes over 13 billion litres of milk and emits around 860,000 tonnes of CO2 every year from over 100 sites that produce a variety of dairy products.

SPX Technology is set to work with Arla Foods on a trial involving the ionising of sodium chloride to clean pipes.

Moreover, an ice slurry-based alternative to a hot water and caustic conventional CIP system, developed in conjunction with the University of Bristol, is also set to be scaled up in the next 2 months, said the Carbon Trust.

Source: Bakery and Snacks

packaging Carbon Trust

A pioneering new multi-screening allergen method is more effective, accurate, quicker and cheaper than existing methods used in the food industry, said Eurofins.

The mass spectrometry (MS) technique permits multiple direct detection of proteins from allergenic compounds in a single test, Bert Popping, company director of molecular biology and immunology, told FoodProductionDaily.com.

The new technology marks a move away from industry-standard methods ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbant assays) and PCR (polymerase chain reactions), which only indirectly detect allergens one at a time, said the company.

“The new MS-based methodology enables detection of seven of the 14 groups that require labelling according to the European Commission’s allergen regulation (68/2007/EC) in one single analysis,” said Popping.

The technique also covers gluten regulation (41/2009/EC).

Popping added: “The advantages are that this technology detects more than one peptide per allergenic compound. This means that if one peptide becomes instable due to processing, you still likely to see one or two of the others, thereby making the results more reliable.”

Advantages over current techs

Eurofins said its new technique demonstrates significant advantages over commonly-used technology.

Presently, PCR is unable to detect a number of products with high protein – and therefore high allergen – content. Such limitations means it has therefore never been the perfect technique for detecting allergens, Popping explaine

ELISA has the ability to detect proteins through antibodies, but only one at time. This means that because there is the potential for the presence of several allergens on site food processors typically adopt risk-based approach.

“For economic reasons, typically only one or two of the likely allergens potentially contaminating the product are screened for, instead of looking for all possible ones,” he said.

Safer products, cost benefits

In contrast, Eurofins said its new analysis offers simple and easy identification of multiple allergens in complex foodstuffs leading to “better risk management for food manufacturers, and ultimately, safer products for the consumers”.

The direct detection of analytes significantly reduces the probability of false negative or false positive test results – limitations of the ELISA and PCR methods, said the global firm headquartered in Belgium.

It also cuts the turnaround time (TAT) and the cost of multi-screening are significantly lower than for individual ELISA based tests.

“TAT will, in routine analysis for one allergen, be roughly the same,” said Popping. “But since typically when more than one ELISA is requested on a sample, TAT is extended to say, 1-2 weeks – maybe because of rare allergens that need testing – this will not be the case for MS since it’s all in the same run.”

He added that cost-wise it would be cheaper for three or more allergen in the same sample, and become more economical with any allergen after the third, compared to ELISA.

“Calculated reduction will be approx 10 per cent after the third, 15 per cent after the fourth and so on,” he added. “Further reductions are envisaged when some of the further developments we have in the pipeline are implemented for this technology.”

Eurofins said its lab method is accredited under ISO 17027. The peer reviewed paper was published this month in the Journal of AOAC International.

Source: Bakery and Snacks

Health, packaging allergenic compounds, ELISA method, Eurofins, PCR method

Consumers are less likely to check labels of biscuit, cake, chocolate and confectionery compared to other food categories, according to Harris Interactive, due to the perception that they are indulgence opportunities.

“Many do not look at labels on these products because nutritional content seems to matter less to consumers on categories which are considered a treat,” claims Geraldine Padbury, senior consultant in consumer research at Harris Interactive.

The consultant presented the findings from two surveys her firm undertook in relation to consumers’ usage and understanding of food labelling at last week’s annual conference of the Biscuit, Cake, Chocolate and Confectionery (BCCC) trade section of the UK industry body, the Food and Drink Federation.

The first survey interviewed 1,079 online and investigated consumer’s general attitude to food labelling. The second one, involving 1,342 was conducted especially for the BCCC conference – Working Together for a Healthy Future – and looked specifically at various food categories.

The poll devised for the conference found that 54 per cent of participants checked labelling of cakes and 52 per cent checked pizza labels, as opposed to the 69 per cent of consumers who checked the labels of dairy products and 67 per cent of those that checked the labels of canned foods.

Females more likely to check labels

Gender differences were also found in terms of label checking behaviour. Females are consistently more likely to check or read labelling compared to males, but only marginally so, according to the analysis.

This gender difference was most significant for breakfast cereals, with 70 per cent of females reporting label reading in this category compared to 63 per cent of males.

Females are also significantly more likely to check labelling on confectionery and sweets (11 per cent compared to 7 per cent for males) and savoury snacks (16 per cent compared to 11 per cent for males).

Age was another factor in label checking behaviour. According to Harris Interactive, participants aged between 16 and 24 and 25 to 34 are significantly more likely to scan labels on cakes and confectionery or sweets.

Those aged between 25 and 34 are significantly more likely to read labels on chocolate, while consumers aged between 16 and 24 are significantly more likely to look at labels on biscuits.

Progress made by industry

On a wider scale, Padbury said there was general consensus that good progress had been made in regards to product labelling and reformulation, with a reduction in salt and fat in products.

85 per cent of those polled welcomed industry efforts. However, 75 per cent of respondents in the general survey said that food manufacturers should do more to reduce salt, saturated fat and calories wherever possible.

Source: Confectionery News

packaging consumers, labels, poll